Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) which is a partial shade-tolerant plant belonging to family Araliaceae has been used as medicinal herb because of its various pharmaceutical effects. There are various ginsenosides which are saponins in Korean ginseng. The saponins are classified with panaxadiol (PD), panaxatriol (PT) and oleanane. In addition, there are non-ginsenoside compounds including carbohydrates such as starch, antioxidant aromatic compound such as polyacethylene, gomisin N-A, and acidic peptides having insulin-like activity.
The root of ginseng is a commonly used herbal medicine and alternative therapeutic materials; however, very little work has been done to evaluate the effect of the unripened ginseng berry. Several studies have reported that the ginseng berry contains higher concentrations of biologically active ginsenosides than that of other ginseng parts (Attele A. S. et al., Diabetes 51:1851-1858, 2002).
Alcohol (ethanol, CH3CH2OH) consumption is used as a psychoactive drug and is one of the oldest recreational drugs used by humans. However, the use of a large volume of ethanol can lead to intoxication and has effects on the liver, heart, pancreas, and nervous system (Vonghia L. et al., Eur. J. Intern. Med. 19:561-567, 2008). Ethanol is rapidly absorbed mainly in the proximal intestinal tract (70% in the stomach and 25% in the duodenum) as it easily crosses cell membranes (Marco C. A. et al., Emerg. Clin. North Am. 8:731-748, 1990). The high levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) during ethanol metabolism, which is the primary defense against alcohol, detoxify ethanol in the liver and stomach (Crabb D. W. et al., Proc. Nutr. Soc. 63:49-63, 2004). The enzymes, ADH, cytochrome P450 (CYP2E1), and catalase convert ethanol into acetaldehyde which is further metabolized by mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) to acetate (Swift R. and Davidson D., Alcohol Health Res. World 22:54-60, 1998). Among these enzymes, the CYP2E1 pathway results in a significant increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical which can lead to further hepatocyte damage via oxidative stress (Cederbaum A. I. et al., Int. J. Hepatol. 2012:582790, 2012). Many reports have suggested that acetaldehyde, a chemically reactive toxic substance, is responsible for alcohol hangover, which can cause vasodilation, flushing of the face, nausea, and headache although alcohol-induced electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycemia, dehydration also induce a serial hangover (Swift R. and Davidson D., Alcohol Health Res. World 22:54-60, 1998; Wiese J. G. et al., Ann. Intern. Med. 132: 897-902, 2000; Deitrich R. A. et al., Novartis Found Symp. 285: 23-40, 2007). As hangover symptoms usually continue for up to 8-24 h, many treatments are focused on shortening its duration along with reducing symptom severity. In addition, lowering the blood acetaldehyde concentration would potentially be a therapeutic target for hangover by increasing ADH levels (McGregor N. R., Alcohol 41:469-78, 2007). Several studies on alleviating hangover symptoms via antioxidant and ADH/ALDH stimulant effects have been conducted using various natural sources such as ginseng root, green tea, asparagus, and a combination of natural extracts (Kim B. Y., et al., J. Food Sci. 74: H204-208, 2009; Li Y. G. et al., AlcoholAlcohol 45:320-331, 2010; Korean Patent No. 1125130; and Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2011-219370).